Remarkable prey capture diversity in Pinguicula crenatiloba, one of the smallest butterwort species

Abstract

Pinguicula (Lentibulariaceae) is the most diverse genus of carnivorous plants in Mexico; however, prey capture patterns of most of its species remain unexplored. Here, we analyzed the spatial and temporal variation in prey capture across four populations of Pinguicula crenatiloba, one of the smallest species in the genus. A total of 122 fully developed individuals were sampled and examined for prey items during November 2022 and 2023. Despite its minute size (5–10 mm rosette diameter), P. crenatiloba captures a number of prey comparable to that of larger congeneric species. We recorded a total of 744 prey specimens representing eight arthropod taxa, with Collembola and Acari as the most abundant prey across populations and years. Prey number and composition differed significantly among populations and years. Despite overall compositional overlap, prey assemblages differed across populations and years. Diversity estimates based on Hill numbers showed significant variation, reflecting differences in both prey richness and dominance. Our findings suggest that prey capture in P. crenatiloba is influenced by both environmental factors and morphological constraints, with interannual variation in rainfall and temperature potentially affecting prey retention. This is the first study to document prey capture in P. crenatiloba, and one of the few to explore spatio-temporal variation in the feeding ecology of Mexican carnivorous plants.